Life Ever After: The Chaos Theory
by Mastermind Minion
Summary: After the attack on Cid's ship, Captain and Company find relative peace to repair the damages done to the ship. The roaming demons have been removed from aboard the ship with the exception of one: Chaos begins his hunt.


Life Ever After: The Chaos Theory

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Prologue

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The walls rushed past him, doors hissing as they opened. Cid felt his chest burning as he ran, adrenaline surging through his blood. His footsteps echoed behind him, giving him the impression that he was being followed.

A loud screeching behind him made Cid swear and his heart-rate jump. He ran faster, reminding himself that he _was_ , in fact, being chased. The door in front of him almost didn't open in time for him to rush through it, and he clipped his shoulder on it, causing him to stumble. He caught himself on the wall, the echoing * **SLAM*** of something large and heavy hitting the still-opening door behind him.

Swearing again, Cid dashed through the next door and spun on his heel and slammed his palm on the "close" button of the door, sealing it closed as the struggling winged black monster fought through the other door and sprinted down the length of the door. The last thing Cid saw before the door shut, was an angry snarl and two glowing gold eyes.

He didn't stick around to see if the door held. He, as the saying goes, tucked his tail and ran for the hills. Or, in this case, the Command Deck of his ship. He flew through the doors, barely clearing them he was going so fast.

'Where's the fire, Chief?' One of the crewmen asked, a small smile on his face at the joke.

Cid said nothing, only hurrying past him to the intercom and smashing the button beneath his thumb. The speakers above him squealed as though protesting before silencing to permit his voice to be heard.

'I want every damned member of AVALANCHE on the Command Deck in two minutes.' He growled into the microphone. 'And if I don't see yer happy ass here by that time, then I will personally hunt yer soon-to-be sore ass to the LifeStream and back!'

He released the button and glanced back at the door, wondering if the monster behind it was still there, or had run off. The pilot only had to wait a few minutes before the doors hissed open and the party in question began to file in, breathless and with anxious expressions on their faces.

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Slowly, the demon crept along the narrow tunnel that made up the air-ducts of the giant metal ship he had found himself stranded in. He would have flown away, were it not for the giant hole in his wing, and the just as painful wound to his chest. A low growl left him as the pain in his wing flared when it caught a little on the wall. The sound echoed around him, and he froze instantly, listening intently. If anyone had heard him...

'Did you hear that?' A voice, slightly muffled and echoed, touched the demon's ears from the grate a few feet from him, and a silent snarl curled his lip. He had been heard.

'I doubt it was anything. Probably just your stomach.' A second voice said, his tone suggesting his impatience. 'Come on. They've swept this area four times already, there's nothing here. Now, let's get this valve replaced before the Captain comes down hard on us.'

Chaos slowly crept forward as the sound of working continued, and peered through the grate. Two men in uniforms were bent over a pipe. A brief flash of memory reminded the demon just how dangerous the pipes were, and for a moment he contemplated leaving the two meals alone and finding another just to avoid another scalding shower from the pipes. Then a third voice froze his blood and he forgot about his pain. A voice that woke far more terrifying memories than bursting pipes of hot water. And Chaos...did not like to feel fear.

'The Captain wants to know if you've got that valve replaced yet.'

'Just about.' Meal One said, passing a wrench up to Meal Two. 'It was a bandy getting the old one off, but the new one's almost on. What's wrong with using the radio?'

'The Captain's lost his.' The familiar voice said, and Chaos glimpsed a pair of hands as they rose briefly. 'Guess he didn't have time to borrow someone else's.'

'Not bloody likely.' Meal Two grunted, twisting the metal valve into place.

'Look, I don't have answers for you.' The woman sighed, and her hands rose again, this time tucking beneath her arms as she folded them across her chest. 'The Captain told me to come down here and ask if you've got that va-'

'There it is again!' Meal One cried, jumping to his feet and looking around. 'That growling! I just heard it again!'

'Oh, Behemoth!' Meal Two snapped. 'Get a grip on yourself! There's nothing in here! I'm telling you! The room's been swept multiple times and nobody's found anything!'

'And I'm telling you sommit' big is in here!' Meal One said.

Chaos was mildly pleased to hear the fear in his voice. There was something satisfying about scaring the living daylights out of lesser creatures, and humans were the easiest to frighten. Easiest, and far more delightsome than other creatures.

The two meals began to argue, but the woman walked slowly around the room, looking around for the "Big Sommit" that was suspected to be in there. Chaos twisted his neck, keeping the dangerous woman in his sights. He wasn't fond of humans to begin with, but that particular one was deserving of being eaten. Slowly. And with relish. The demon felt a new snarl forming on his face, and his chest rumbled softly with the almost imperceptible growl that, if you were a demon, marked the next target. Or in this case, the next meal.

There was no possible way his marked meal could have heard him over the noise the two lesser meals were making, but she seemed to have, as her brown head suddenly swiveled and her gaze snapped upwards to the vent he had hidden himself behind. Soft brown eyes met glowing gold...and Lucrecia screamed.


End file.
